Customer Reviews

Lord of the Hollow Dark

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"Lord of the Hollow Dark" is a supernatural thriller in the tradition of Charles Williams. In some ways it is reminiscent of the "occult novels" of Dennis Wheatley, but is informed by a more traditional religious sense than was Wheatley. An unusual assortment of individuals gather in a mysterious castle (site many years before of an horrific murder) for a ceremony planned by the leader of a cult. The nature of the ceremony is unknown to all but its planner. This is not a book for those who are thrillied by blood-and-gore "slasher" horror stories. It will give the philosophically-inclined reader things to think about, and the imaginative person a few nightmares.

I hate to admit that I find anything positive in Stephen King, but some of his works are truly frightening.

This is not true of Lord of the Hollow Dark, but there is still much to admire in Kirk's turn into the horror genre.

First of all, the book is absorbing. I literally couldn't put it down until it was finished. And once it was done, I was craving more. This is a good book! The characters are fairly well developed, but strange to the extreme.

Of greatest impact is the mood that Kirk creates. This novel is fully textured and deep - in some ways it is reminiscent of Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum," but without the exaggerated complexities. The plot seems straightforward enough at the beginning, but it gets more and more abstract as it progresses, and the climax of the work is excellent.

I have yet to plumb the depths of this novel - it will take a couple more readings to satisfy myself that I haven't missed the subtext. But any level, this is an excellent work (if you can find it!)